After several inquiries, a document was produced so wood buyers would know what forests they can buy products from, and which ones are off-limits; "Endangered Forests: Priority High Conservation Value Forests For Protection, Guidance For Corporate Commitments" – usually known as "Wye River."
by Candace Batyki
In 1999 Home Depot, the world's largest Do-It-Yourself store, pledged:
"By the end of 2002, we will eliminate from our stores wood from endangered areas — including certain lauan, redwood and cedar products — and give preference to 'certified' wood."
Forest activists rejoiced. Dozens of organizations large and small had campaigned to force Home Depot to change its purchasing policies.
But Home Depot had worded its pledge carefully. It didn't say "all wood from endangered areas." It didn't say "FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood." And it left open a major question: Where are the "endangered areas"?
Dozens of wood products buyers made similar pledges. Many buyers committed to immediately stop buying wood from the Great Bear Rainforest. But the Great Bear is only one place where industrial forestry is endangering ecosystem integrity. In 2002, with the Great Bear Agreement in place, the question from buyers has become: "Where are the forests that we can buy products from, and which ones are off-limits?"
Environmental organizations spent two years working to answer that question. The result is the April 2002 document "Endangered Forests: Priority High Conservation Value Forests For Protection, Guidance For Corporate Commitments" – usually known as "Wye River" after the venue for the first meeting.
The Wye River document makes it clear that Endangered Forests are a subset of High Conservation Value Forests as defined under the Forest Stewardship Council. Endangered Forests should be protected, while High Conservation Value Forests which are not Endangered Forests will be available for certified forestry operations.
Wye River sets out four biological and ecological categories for defining Endangered Forests:
1. Naturally Rare Forests
2. Anthropogenically Rare Forests (i.e. forests that are rare due to human disturbance)
3. Intact (frontier and near frontier) Forests
4. Other Ecologically Important Forests
Wye River also applies two social and legal categories to the definition of Endangered Forests:
5. Human and Indigenous Rights
6. Illegal Forest Products
These definitions provide conservation activists with a strong tool. It is available on the home page of www.forestethics.org It is our job, as a movement, to use these definitions to identify the endangered forests in BC, so that the marketplace can be given clear information regarding conservation priorities.
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[From WS October/November 2002]